Well Read
by bhfirewife
Summary: There is more than one meaning to the phrase "Well read".  Daniel/Vala


Well Read

It has been said, or at least thought, that he was well read. Those people have no idea just how read Daniel Jackson truly is.

No one that knew the work that he had been REALLY working on for the past ten years, denied that Daniel had actually read all the material that there was to ANY of the 'gods' that they had combated, and the others that they had only heard about. Nor could any of them deny that he was the one to ask if there was anything to be translated if it was something that none of their team had seen before, hell he was the one that usually ended up TEACHING the one that would end up teaching everyone else the language. And it was only those who now lived on Atlantis that could now read and understand the language of the Ancients better than he could, of course they were surrounded be it in their work and their everyday live. But there were things that people did not know that he had read in his life.

He had read how Sam and Jack had truly felt about each other, through emotions that were only in their eyes during the first year that they had worked together. He knew that they each did not realise that the emotions were there, because he was sure that they had not realised their feelings themselves, neither had ever mentioned anything to him when he talked to each privately.

He read when Jack had realised how he felt about Sam, when she had been almost killed on one of their missions early during their second year working together. He had silently comforted his friend. He knew about the frat regs that would keep Jack from following his heart. He stayed by Jack's side while Jack sat by Sam's side until she woke up, only leaving to get coffee to keep themselves going if they began to feel tired.

He read when Sam realised how she felt for Jack during one of the briefings and once again, Jack had claimed to be unable to understand, or care about, the techno babble that she was sprouting regarding an item that they had found on the previous mission. She had just smirked and shook her head, but he could see the affection that was held within that smirk.

At first Teal'c had been hard for him to read, but it didn't take him long to learn. He was one of the first who knew when the Jaffa needed to meditate. He also was able to read the Jaffa's eyebrow, he could tell what the Jaffa was thinking about by the set of the eyebrow when it arched, the difference was always subtle, but, he always saw it. He could always tell if the Jaffa was intrigued, amused, or annoyed.

When Sam and Jack each got promoted, he could read their happiness in their eyes, even if they did not show it outright. And he could even read the pride that they had for each other's accomplishments.

Cam joined the SGC and took over as the leader as SG-1 and Daniel learned how easy that he actually was to read, despite the easy going attitude the man always had. He could always tell how worried Cam was even if he was able to hide it from others with his wisecracks.

He had been able to read Sam's moods and her physical reactions to things to learn that she was pregnant. One day after she had been sick, but not ill, for almost a week, he had been the one to suggest that she had Dr. Lam give her a pregnancy test.

He could tell how excited Jack had been when Sam had told him about the pregnancy, he knew that Jack was glad to be given another chance at being a father again. He knew how hard Charlie's death had hit the older man, and how much Jack missed his son.

Daniel could read the happiness in Cam and Carolyn Lam about their relationship, even before they announced themselves as a couple to their friends. He could also see how happy General Landry was that his daughter had found a man like Cam, even if he was concerned that the man was Cameron Mitchell himself, when the General learned that they were dating seriously.

During team poker nights, Daniel could tell who was bluffing (until Vala joined the team and learned the game), even if he gave in to some of the bluffs to keep them from suspecting.

The only team member, and one of the few people in general, that he had trouble reading was Vala, but he had supposed that was because she had grown used to hiding her true self away for self protection after being taken, then released from Quetesh.

Daniel knew that his friends and team mates could read him also, just not as well as he could the majority of them. He did not know, however, that as easily as he could read the rest of their friends, Vala could read him.

At the time that they first met, she had seen (as well as felt) that he had been attracted to her, even then.

When she came to Earth looking for him to help her find a "treasure", she had seen the surprise that she had gone through such an effort.

She could see how scared Daniel was to allow himself to love her. She knew that the reason for that was because he was afraid that he could lose her if he did, like other women in his past. She had been told about his wife and other women that he had loved and lost, when Jack and Sam had warned her not to hurt their friend. They later became her greatest source of support and encouragement after she had assured them that she had no such intentions and then told them about the man that she had loved and had planned to marry before Quetesh took her away.

She had seen the depth of his hurt when he learned that she had married Tomin, and later the relief when he learned that she had only done so protect herself, not out of love.

When she would flirt with him, she could see that he was scared that she could have feelings for him, and the slight relief hidden in the anger when she would tell him that she was only messing with him, though it hurt her to tell him that.

She had seen how nervous Daniel had been when he finally told her how he felt for her, and how relieved he had been when she opened her soul for him to see, and told him that she loved him as well, she never hid from him again.

Everyone that had been around them could see how nervous and excited he had been when he had asked her to marry him. They could also see how happy he had been when she said yes. She had not been the only one with tears of joy in her eyes.

She knew that she would not have been the only one to see how happy he was, and how much he loved her as he watched her walk down the aisle, if anyone cared to look at him. She could feel that al eyes were on her as she made her way to him, escorted by Teal'c.

Vala smiled to herself as she made her way to their shared quarters on base after her visit to the infirmary. She could not wait to see the look on his face when she told him that she was pregnant. They had talked about having a family, and she knew that this was news that everyone on the team would be able to read his feelings about, if not the whole base.


End file.
